Cooler cabinet



Feb. 23, 1932. J. H. PRATT ET AL 1,846,039

COOLER CABINET Filed March 6. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN mIn|mnumnululmlllllllmlnllllIllllllllflllllllmlummll Feb. 23, 1932. J. H. PRATT ETAL COOLER CABINET Filed March 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I MM 1 t mg 2 f mm 5 V. m wmm lr L" till Patented Feb. 23, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JABEZ H. PRATT AND FRANKLIN B. HUNT, OF CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS, BY MLESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE LIQUID GARBONIC CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE COOLER CABINET Application filed March 6, 1926. Serial No. 92,745.

This invention relates to improvements in cooler cabinets adapted for use in connection with soda fountains and other places where ice cream is sold and the principal purpose of the present invention is to provide an improved construction of the covers and upper parts of the cooler cabinet whereby a cold temperature is more effectively maintained in the upper parts of the containers for the ice cream. The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved cover construction for cooler cabinets. A further object is to provide an improved construction of the upper part of an ice cream receptacle whereby cooler temperatures are maintained surrounding the upper part of the ice cream container. Other objects relate to various features of construction and arrangement which will appear more fully hereinafter.

The nature of the invention will be understood from the following specification taken with the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment is illustrated. in the drawings, Fig. 1 showsv a top plan view of the improved cooler cabinet; and Fig. 2

shows a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 22 of'lhig. 1.

The improved ice cream cabinet may be of any desired extent and embody any desired number of ice cream receptacles, but in the accompanying drawings it has been deemed suh icient to show the improvements in connection with a single ice cream receptacle and its associated cover. The cooler cabinet, designated generally by the numeral 10, has a horizontal top capping 11 formed preferably of metal or the like, having a smooth upper surface, and this capping is provided above the location of the ice cream receptacle with an up-turned flange 11 surrounding an aperture into which extends an annular ring 12 formed preferably of a relatively hard and strong non-conducting heat insulating material, such as bakelite, which is molded in the desired shape. The body portion 12 of this insulating ring is tapered downwardly and inwardly and is adapted to fit closely an aperture 13 which is formed in the top frame 14 formed preferably of wood. The ring 12 is provided at the upper edge of the body portion 12 thereof with an outwardly and downwardly turned annular flange 12 which has its lower edge 12 resting directly of the insulating ring which lies below the annular shoulder 14 is under-cutto receive the upper edge of a cylindrical metal plate 16 which is secured to the insulating ring by means of bolts 17. The metallic annular ring 16 which is of the same cross-sectional shape as the annular ring 12 has its lower edge secured by'bolts 18 to the jacket or wall 19 which forms the ice cream receptacle proper and which is adapted to receive one or more ice cream containers shown by dotted lines and indicated by the numeral 20. The space around the annular sheet metal ring 16 is filled with cork 21 or other suitable heat insulating material and the space around the metallic shell or wall 19 is occupied by brine or other suitable refrigerating means by which a low temperture is maintained within the ice cream receptacle. In the embodiment illustrated, the shell or wall 19 is oifset laterally at one side "as shown at 19 so that the body portion of the receptacle beneath the metallic ring 16 is larger in cross section than the opening closed by the cover 15, thus permitting one ice cream container 20 to be inserted and moved laterally beneath the offset portion 19 before another container 20 is put in place within the cabinet. With this construction, the brine or other cooling medium in the region surrounding the receptacle 19 serves to maintain a low temperature of the contents of the containers 20 and the upwardly extending metallic ring 16 whichhas a direct heat conducting connection with The downwardly extending annular part 12 ence oftheunetallic ring 16 of low temperature surrounding the space immediately above the ice cream containers.

, The cover comprises two sections 15 which are connected centrally by hinges 22,

, the composite cover having a cross-section of oval or other desired shape conforming to the shape of the insulating ring 12 on which it is mounted. Each section 15 of the cover comprises a' body portion 23 formed of a suitable tough and strong heat insulating material, such as bakelite, which is molded into the desired semi-circular or semi-oval shape, having a top wall 23, a downwardly directed transverse wall 23, at the 'center of the cover, and a curved wall 23 which extends downwardly fromthe outer edge of the top wall 23 and unites the opposite ends of the transverse wall 23". The top wall 23 is preferably sloped downwardly and outwardly from the transverse wall 23 to which the hinges 22 are connected, and around the curved outer edge of the top wall 23, there is provided an outwardly and downwardly turned flange 23 which overlaps the top edge of the insulating ring 12 and projects downwardly slightly beneath the top edge of that ring, substantially into the recess 12 which is formed in the outer face of the down-turned flange 12 Centrally located handles 24 are provided on each of the cover sections 15,

these handles having screw-threaded studs 24 which engage threaded members 25 embedded in the body port-ion 23 of the cover. The to walls and downwardly extending walls 0 each cover section-15 form a chamber 26 which is filled with cork 27 or other suitable heat insulating material. This heat insulating material is maintained in place by .means of removable metal plates 28 having brightlower surfaces, which are secured to the body portions 23 of the cover sections .by means of screws 29 threadedly engaging sprocket members 30 which are embedded in "which is formed on the annular ring 12, t cmby providing a seal between the cover and the wall of the receptacle so that air cannot enter from outside the cabinet. The portions 32 of the sealing rings which are 10- cated beneath the transverse walls 23 of the two cover sections are adapted to contact with each other so that they form a substantially air-tight seal adapted to prevent the transfer of heat downwardly between the twocover sections 15. In addition to their function of maintaining the heat insulating material 27 in place within the cover sections, the metallic plates 28 serve also to transfer to the cool side walls of the chamber any heat present in the upper part of the chamber beneath the cover, so that they contribute to the maintenance of a relatively low temperature adjacent the upper parts of the ice cream containers 20.

It will therefore be apparent that the present invention provides improved means for transfering the cold temperature upwardly from the refrigerated wall of the ice cream receptacle to the region surrounding the up per parts of the ice cream containers, and that the improved cover construction serves not only to prevent transfer of heat through the cover and around the edges thereof to the interior of the receptacle, but that it also serves by radiation and reflection to maintain acold temperature in the upper part of the ice cream containers where the ice cream ordinarily tends to become too soft to be served to the customers. The improved construction and arrangement of the cover in combination with the annular insulating ring and the top capping oiithe cabinet serve to promote sanitation and cleanliness, in addition to contributing to the attractive appearance of the top part of the ice cream cabinet.

Although one form of the invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

' 1. A cooler cabinet comprising a flat metallic top capping having an aperture therein, said top capplng having a flange directed upwardly around said aperture, and an-insulating ring mounted in said aperture and having a flange directed downwardly and outwardly over said flange on said capping.

2. Acooler cabinet comprisinga flat metallic top capping having an aperture therein, an insulating ring of molded material mounted in said aperture and having an inwardlydirected annular shoulder, and a heat insulating cover mounted on said shoulder.

3. A cooler cabinet comprising a flat metallic top capping having an aperture therein, a heat insulating ring of molded material mounted in said aperture and having an annular flange'restingj 0 said top cappm I said heat insulating an inwar y directed annular shoulder, and a cover having an annular resilient member mounted on said annular shoulder.

a. A cooler cabinet comprising a top cap- 5 ping having an opening therein, a cover mounted within said opening and having a top wall and integral lateral walls formed of molded heat insulating material, a metallic wall forming the bottom of said cover and to having its edges secured to said insulating lateral walls, and heat insulating material mounted within the walls of said cover, said cover comprising two similar sections connected by hinges having their parts emlli hedided in said molded heat insulating mate- 5. A cooler cabinet comprising a metallic top capping having an aperture therein, a ring of molded insulating material engagso ing said capping and extending downwardly within said opening, and an annular metal receptacle wall connected to the lower part of said insulating ring and extending downwardly therefrom, said metallic capping be- 2 ing spaced from said metal receptacle wall by said molded insulating ring.

6. it cooler cabinet comprising a top capping having an opening therein and a cover mounted within said opening, said cover comull prising a top wall and integrally formed annular depending walls "formed of molded in-v sulating material, other insulatin material mounted within said walls beneat said top wall, and a metallic wall for said cover at- 35 taclied to the lower edge of said annular wal '4". A cooler cabinet having an opening prosided with a cover, said cover comprising two complementary top wall sections formed of all molded insulating material and each provided with annular depending walls, hinges having parts embedded in said molded heat insulating material and connecting said cover sections, other heat insulating material t5 mounted within said annular walls of said,

cover sections, and metallic lower walls detachably secured to said annular walls of said cover sections. 7

In testimony whereof, we have subscribed to our names.

JABEZ H. PRATT. FRANKLIN B. HUNT.

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